Cabinet for dispensing separate sheets from paper packs.



C. P. WINTER. CABINET FOR DISPENSING SEPARATE SHEETS FROM PAPER PACKS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, I9l4, 1,164,047.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

wi tmeo oeo ymw 851,. v I I W,

Patented Dec.14,1915.

C. P. WINTER. CABINET FOR DISPENSING SEPARATE SHEETS FROM PAPER PACKS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-30, I914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

ihlu wI VII IIIIIIII .IIIrIIIIIIIII 10:11:52,155:rill!!!5:555:14:III:,11:1-:iiluvnl1flliilllil COURTNEY 1. WINTER, OFWASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ran swans PATENT carica- CABINET FOR DISPENSING SEPARATE SHEETS FROMPAPER PACKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. ML, 1915.

Application filed December 30, 1914. Serial No. 879,757.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, COURTNEY P. WINTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful 1m tion, Serial No. 842,403, filedJune 2, 1914,

in which is described a pack of folded paper articles and a dispensingcabinet therefor which will serve to present the articles successivelyin position for convenient grasping and withdrawal of each articlewithout disarranging the one that follows it; the pack and cabinet beingof such construction and so related that the prehended portion of eachsheet is presented automatically in proper position independently of thepreceding sheet, and thereby renders unnecessary the complication andexpense of interlocking the folds of adjacent sheets in making up thepack. In my said application, this result was realized measurably atleast, and to a useful degree by having the bottom of the cabinetdivided into front and rear supporting ledges with a delivery spacebetween them; the form specifically claimed having such supportingledges extending in directions which substantially merge one with theother; the sheets making up the pack having on their under sides, foldsreduced in width sufficient to release them from the forward ledge, sothat they might hang down, and this effect being favored by providing areentrant cut in the rear ledge which induces drooping or bowing of saidfold and consequent separation from the main body of the sheetabove it.1

One object of the present invention is to insure better separation ofthe narrow fold on the under side of each sheet as the pack feedsdownward, to which end the forward ledge is in a plane which is offsetvertically from the rear ledge, so that the main body of the pack andparticularlythe main fold of the lowermost sheet is supported in a.

difl'erent' plane from the narrow fold to be grasped, and separation isthus better insured; this effect being further favored by an additionalstructural feature which is preferably used in connection with the 0dsetledges, namely, the downward inclination of the rearward ledge, from theline where it joins the back of the cabinet and where it supports themain body of the pack.

These conditions are suggested by the form shown in Fig. 5 of myaforesaid application, Serial No. 8422, 103, but the constructionillustrated by said figure is alternative to the forms specificallyclaimed in said application, and is, therefore, reserved to be claimedin the present case. The reentrant cut in the rear ledge, featured in myaforesaid application, is also preferably employed in the presentconstruction, and when employed in an offset and downwardly inclinedinner ledge, as in the present case, insures the advantage of morereadily releasing the main fold of the lowermost sheet from the sheetabove it, and thus reduces tendency to dis arrange the sheet thatremains in the cabinet.

Another object of the present invention is to adapt the cabinet tosupport the paper pack in the dispensing position, even when the cabinetis open; in other words, to enable the pack to be properly positioned inthe cabinet while it may be inspected, to which end both the forward andrearward supporting ledges are carried by the fixed member of thecabinet independently of the hinging member; and to adapt the pack to bepositively placed in the right position, the forward supporting ledge ismade up of two flanges extending from the sides of the fixed member andleaving a space between them to permit retaining hold of the pack untilit is properly placed; the reentrant cut in-the rearward ledge alsofavoring this manipulation in the charging of the cabinet.

With this introduction to the general principles involved in the presentinvention, I

,will proceed to describe one or more illustrative embodiments of theinvention in connection with the accompanying drawings,

in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of apaper-dispensing cabinet con Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a section similarto upon its pintle to open position; Fig. 5 is a 1 detail View of thelower portion of the cabiwith their wrapper in place,

net in open position, suggesting the method of introducing the sheets,namely en bloc,

and then disrupting the latter to release the sheets for dispensing oneby one.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, 1 represents the inner memberof the cabinet adapted to be secured to a wall or other fixed object, asfor instance by screws or nails introduced through perforations 2, and 3is the outer member or housing hinged thereto through means .of pintles4 and adapted to swing outwardly and downwardly to open up the cabinetand permit renewal of the paper supply.

As will be seen more plainly from Figs. 3 and 4:, the cabinet has atbottom the forward support '5 and the rearward support 6,. of which theforward support is preferably connected with the front confining wall?by a curved portion-and terminates in a rearwardly extended portionwhich is directed to about the point of union between the rearward ledge6 and the back 8; and the rearward ledge 6 is thus offset downwardlyfrom the forward ledge or from the plane in which the paper is supportedand thus materially assists separation of the extracting fold 9 from themain fold 10 on each sheet as it reaches the lowermost position. Inaddition to this offsetting of the front and rear ledges, the rear ledge6 is inclined downwardly, which further favors the separation of theextracting fold, while not materially detracting from its supportingrelation to the rear portion of the paper block. A further feature ofthe rear supporting ledge is the reentrant recess 11, which ispreferably used in connection with the present construction inasmuch asit facilitates the downward pull of the paper article.

As will be better understood from Figs. 1

and 4, the supporting ledges, as well as the front wall 7 and rear wall8 are all mounted on the fixed member of the cabinet, so that when thecabinet is open, the paper pack may be placed in exact dispensingposition While it is yet accessible for proper ad ustment and there isno liability to dlsarrange the pack by closing the cabinet. In order tofacilitate manipulating the pack and to permit hold being retained uponit until t is in proper position, the front wall 7 as well as'theforward supporting ledge 5. are 61- yided from front to rear so as toleave a spacebetween their parts. The structural and functional"characteristics of these parts may thus conveniently be realized byproviding fiangesof approprlatedepth upon the sidewalls or checks 12 ofthe stationary member of the cabinet.

sheet neXt above it.

an aperture 15, through which the finger or any convenient instrumentmay be introduced to release the latch.

It is to be understood that functionally the reentrant cut or recess inthe rear supporting ledge is to be regarded as a space between the twomain portions of said ledge; or in other words, the bottom ledge is tobe regarded as made up of two main'portions located on opposite sides ofan intermediate space, which space serves the plural purposes ofaffording a better handhold upon the pack in introducing it, favoringseparation of the extracting fold from the main fold' of the sheet, andfacilitating withdrawal of the sheet, and the two latter considerations'are realized in greater degree where the ledge is downwardly inclined.From this, it will be understood that the functions of the recess mayberealized, measurably at least, with other forms of rear bottom supports.having their depth mainly at the sides and with an intermediate space.I

It will be noted that while the main paper supports are all carried bythefixed member of the mounting and that the forward ledge comprises, asstated, two portions projecting laterally from the side walls or cheeksand leaving a considerable space between them, the bottom wall of theouter or swinging member of the housing provides a protecting apron 5extending across this intervening space as a protection againstexcessive sagging of the paper. art'cles, but it leaves the weight ,ofthe paper pack resting mainly upon the relatively narrow members of thetwo-part forward ledge. The

result of this is that the bottom sheet isreleased very promptly fromits forward supi ports and with little frictional drag on the sheet nextabove it, and this feature, coupled with the previous release of therear portion .of the sheet, which also takes place very promptly becauseof the downward inclination of therear supporting ledge and consequentrestriction of the rear bearing area of the paper column, insures arelease of each sheet without disarrangement of the I claim A 1. Acabinet for dispensing folded paper sheets, comprising apaper-supporting member and a housing member adapted to inclose thesupporting member; one of said members vbeing movable relatively to theother to open and close the cabinet; and the supporting member havingfront and rear supporting ledges with a delivery space between them; theforward supporting ledge being divided into two parts having betweenthem a space intersecting the delivery space.

2. A cabinet for dispensing folded paper sheets, comprising apaper-supporting member and a housing member adapted to inclose thesupporting member; one of said members being movable relatively to theother to open and close the cabinet; and the supporting member havingfront and rear supporting ledges with a delivery space between them; theforward ledge lying in a plane which intersects the rear ledge at aboutthe line of its intersection with the supporting member of the cabinet,and said rear ledge being inclined downwardly and forwardly.

3. A cabinet for dispensing folded paper sheets, comprising apaper-supporting member and a housing member adapted to inclose thesupporting member; one of said members being movable relatively to theother to open and close the cabinet; and the supporting member havingfront and rear supporting ledges with delivery space between them; theforward supporting ledge being divided into two parts having betweenthem a space intersecting the delivery space; said housing member havingat bottom, a protecting apron which underlies the transverse spacebetween the parts of the front supporting ledge, but leaves the deliveryspace unobstructed.

4. A cabinet for dispensing folded sheets of paper, comprising asupporting member with back, side, and front confining walls, and abottom support; the bottom support comprising front and rear ledges witha delivery space between them, and the front wall and front supportingledge being divided vertically and transversely and separated to leavebetween them, a space 7 through which to manipulate a paper packintroduced into the cabinet.

through which to manipulate a paper pack .lIltIOdHCGd into the cabinet;said cabinet also comprising an inclosing housing having a wall which isadapted to overlie said divided front wall and front supporting ledge.

6. A receptacle for receiving a pack of folded sheets and dispensingthem individually from the bottom of the pack; said receptacle beingconstructed with a top opening through which the pack is introduced,

with side and front walls adapted to confine the pack laterally, andwith a supporting bottom adapted for the delivery of each sheet as itreaches the bottom; the front confining wall of the receptacle beingdivided vertically to provide a space communicating with and extendingdownwardly from the top opening to permit retention of handhold upon thepack while passing it downward between the confining walls; saidreceptacle being provided with an inclosing housing movable relativelyto the receptacle for openingand closing the latter, and having a wallwhich overlies and closes the front confining wall of the receptacle.

The foregoing specification signed at Washington, District of Columbia,this 9th day of December, 1914.

COURTNEY P. WINTER.

In presence of HARVEY S. KNIGHT, ROBINSON WHITE.

